A 96-year-old woman, believed to be the oldest person conv!cted of causing death by dangerous driving, received a suspended sentence after fatally injuring another woman outside her bridge club.
June Mills, from Ainsdale in Merseyside, was given an 18-month suspended sentence at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday after her Vauxhall Corsa struck two people on August 2 of last year.
Mills, who can only walk short distances, admitted to causing the death of 76-year-old Brenda Joyce and injuring 80-year-old Jennifer Ensor after they all left their local bridge club on Elbow Lane in Formby, UK.
In his sentencing, Judge Simon Medland KC remarked, “This case is an utter tragedy. Mrs Joyce died, Mrs Ensor was injured, you have lost your good character and now stand in the dock of Liverpool Crown Court.”
Prosecutor Robert Dudley explained that Mrs Joyce and Mrs Ensor were walking along the pavement after leaving the bridge club when the collision occurred.
Mills, who appeared in a wheelchair and wore a green fleece with a tartan blanket over her knees during the hearing, told police in a prepared statement that her accelerator pedal felt as if it had “dropped to the floor” while she was maneuvering around a parked car, causing her to “shoot forward.”
She stated, “It all happened very quickly, and there were people in front of me, but I could not avoid hitting them because the car was going so fast. I had no control over it.”
The court noted that Mrs Joyce’s husband did not support the prosecution. In a statement read to the court, Mrs Ensor mentioned that she suffered minor injuries, including tendon damage that prevented her from playing a full round of golf, and expressed a “sense of guilt” for having survived.
Tom Gent, Mills’ defense attorney, described the case as “dreadfully sad,” emphasizing that she is extremely sorry for what happened. He added that the consequences would haunt her forever, and she feels great shame and guilt.
Gent also highlighted that Mills had surrendered her driving license following the crash and had previously volunteered with victims of crime and young offenders. He noted that she has also housed Ukrainian refugees.
Judge Medland stated that, with credit for a guilty plea made at an earlier hearing, the starting point for Mills’ sentence would be 18 months in prison. He continued, “Given the imposition guidelines, the pre-sentence reports, the abundance of references, and common sense, it would not benefit anyone to impose an immediate sentence, nor would that be a just outcome.”
The judge suspended the sentence for 18 months, ordered Mills to pay a £1,500 fine and £500 in prosecution costs, and disqualified her from driving for five years.
